Duke University Medical Center allowed a specially trained dog with its human handler in the operating room reports The National Monitor.
JJ, the trained terrier, was allowed into the operating room while his handler, seven year old Kaelyn “KK” Krawczyk underwent surgery on Wednesday. JJ has the ability to warn KK’s parents and her doctors when the young girl is about to have a reaction due to mastocytosis.
Mastocytosis is a disorder that is caused when their are too many dust cells in the human body.
KK’s parents say that JJ is able to detect a change in KK before she has a reaction. Before they received the dog from Eyes, Ears, Nose and Paws, a non profit organization, KK needed all night care.
According to the doctors at Duke, JJ was able to provide an extra warning for the doctors at the hospital while the seven year old underwent surgery.
The Science Recorder reported that this is the first time Duke has approved an animal to be in the operating room during a surgery.